On Wednesday, Dec. 6, the Missouri auditor announced she had received allegations that the Greene County government misused taxpayer resources.

Since then, the News-Leader has published several stories about a whistleblower's claims — and the reactions to them.

There's a lot that's still unclear, but here is what we know so far:

On Nov. 7, Greene County voters approved a 1/2-cent sales tax hike — something that county officials say the cash-strapped government has needed for years.

On Dec. 1, someone contacted the whistleblower hotline with a tip for the Missouri auditor.

The whistleblower, whose identity remains closely guarded by law, said county employees were asked to advocate for the sales tax measure leading up to the election.

If true, that could mean a crime was committed within the Greene County government.

The day the news broke, Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway asked the county commission to permit her office to conduct an independent investigation into the allegations.

That same day, commissioners publicly said they would "fully cooperate" with the auditor's request.

Two days later, commissioners decided to hire a private law firm, they say, to review the allegations and make recommendations on what actions they should take — a decision that not everybody is happy with. More on that later.

What is being alleged, according to the auditor's office?

The auditor wants to investigate whether county resources, funds and equipment might have been used as part of an advocacy strategy leading up to the Nov. 7 election.

County employees allegedly performed, or were asked to perform, duties related to a political action committee advocating for the sales tax, including accepting PAC donations in county offices, Galloway said.

Specifically, Galloway referenced an email that was sent to county employees and officials outlining a plan to advocate for the tax measure.

An email, obtained by the News-Leader, has been described by legal experts as "inappropriate," "not a good idea" and, at face value, appears to be evidence of the use of public funds to advocate for the passage of a ballot measure. The email was sent from Presiding Commissioner Bob Cirtin to county officeholders and employees on Sept. 15.

Galloway's office has declined to confirm or deny whether the Sept. 15 email was part of the complaint, citing a legal requirement to protect whistleblowers.

For the same reason, Galloway is remaining silent on other details of the allegations.

As of Dec. 27, a total of 12 different whistleblowers have submitted complaints against Greene County in 2017, auditor's office spokeswoman Steph Deidrick said.

After Galloway publicized the original whistleblower's complaint on Dec. 6, 11 others have come forward with concerns about "fiscal and operations concerns," according to information provided to the News-Leader by the auditor's office.

In 2016, a total of two complaints were submitted to the auditor's office about Greene County, Deidrick said.

Why doesn't the auditor just investigate?

Under Missouri law, there are two paths that would allow the auditor to investigate Greene County — either the County Commission could vote to let her in, or a resident or property owner within the county could submit a qualified petition.

Normally, counties would foot the bill for an audit. However, a spokeswoman with the auditor's office said the investigation is being offered at no cost to the county "due to the seriousness of the allegations and the unique expertise the Auditor's office could provide."

There has been no word from the Greene County Commission on whether it intends to allow Galloway to investigate.

Meanwhile, Greene County residents have launched a petition effort. They have one year to collect a sufficient number of signatures from registered local voters.

If the petition is successful, the auditor's office spokeswoman said state law would require Greene County to pay the cost.

The cost of an audit for political subdivisions similar in size to Greene County have ranged from $150,000 to $200,000, according to the auditor's office.

So, who could get in trouble?

State law prohibits certain employees from engaging in or being forced to engage in political activity while on duty or by using any state resources or facilities. That's different from educating the public about ballot measures, which is allowed.

Employees may donate to campaigns or work with political parties when not on duty, but under no circumstances are they allowed to use their official authority or influence to interfere with election results.

Elected officials are allowed to make public appearances and issue statements about ballot measures.

There are penalties for intimidating, threatening, commanding or coercing a state employee to participate in political activity, including possible jail time and a fine. Any person convicted of a violation would also lose their job.

Officials and employees who allegedly collected money on the job to boost the sales tax issue would have violated Greene County's personnel policy, in addition to state law. They could be verbally reprimanded, have their pay and benefits docked or be fired.

Why did the county hire a private law firm?

In a 2-1 vote, the Greene County Commission decided to hire Kansas City-based firm Graves Garrett LLC to do a preliminary review of the allegations.

County spokeswoman Trysta Herzog told the News-Leader that the law firm will make a recommendation on what to do next. Among other things, options could include allowing the auditor's office or a certified public accountant to investigate.

The dissenting vote within the three-person County Commission came from Lincoln Hough, who has vocally disapproved of the decision to hire Graves Garrett. The other two commission members are Cirtin and Harold Bengsch.

Galloway, too, was critical of the commission's move. In separate statements, Galloway and Hough urged county leaders to grant the auditor's office permission to investigate Greene County.

Hough indicated that the firm comes with a hefty price tag.

"I will not support using taxpayers’ dollars to hire a private firm to review this issue," Hough said. "Greene County taxpayers should not have to pay $365 dollars an hour to a firm to investigate potential misuse of tax dollars."

Hough also expressed concern the whistleblower would not want to report "facts critical to any investigation" to a county-hired law firm, as opposed to the state auditor, who is required to protect whistleblowers' identities.

Galloway said of the decision, "The county's action does not indicate interest in pursuing a public, independent review into the troubling allegations of the misuse of public resources."

It's unclear how long the firm's review will take, Herzog said.

Graves Garrett is politically well connected. Todd Graves, a partner in the firm, is the chair of the Missouri Republican Party. His brother, Rep. Sam Graves, is a U.S. congressman representing northern Missouri. The firm also has connections with Greene County's attorney, John Housley, who reached out to Graves Garrett after the whistleblower allegations became public.

Two Graves Garrett attorneys are involved with a lawsuit against Galloway, a Democrat, alleging that she has violated the state Sunshine law. Galloway's office has said it operates in compliance with the law.

What happens if the auditor finds evidence of wrongdoing?

If an investigation is completed — either by the auditor's office or a certified public accountant — investigators are required to deliver a report about the receipts and spending at hand to the county commission.

Auditors are accountants, not prosecutors, but the law gives Galloway a chance to kick-start further investigations by other officials.

Galloway could refer credible allegations of criminal misconduct to either Attorney General Josh Hawley or Greene County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Patterson. Any alleged violations of unethical political activity could be referred to the Missouri Ethics Commission. And any possible violations of election law could be referred to Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft.

The results of the sales tax election could be contested in court, but proving that the alleged actions amounted to election interference would be a challenge.

What protections are there for government whistleblowers?

Early on, Commissioner Hough addressed the fact that the whistleblower "may be" a county employee.

"I will protect any employee that sees potential wrongdoing to know they can report without fear of retribution," Hough said.

This summer, Gov. Eric Greitens signed legislation that limited whistleblower protections for employees of Missouri's government entities. The legal changes took effect in late August.

In a statement, Galloway supported legislation to restore protections for public workers to fight "a chilling effect that could undermine the sate's ability to uncover wasteful, improper or illegal uses of taxpayer dollars."

What did the PAC do?

Invest in Greene County PAC, established Sept. 1, raised nearly $66,000 and has spent most of that money to date, according to documents filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission.

In total, the PAC spent $59,965, with $58,059 going toward radio, mail, TV, billboard and newspaper advertising, as well as signs.

The largest monetary contributions came from a construction laborers union and a trucking company, according to campaign finance reports.

The county sales tax increase was approved by about 60 percent of voters on Nov. 7.

The tax hike is expected to bring in an additional $28.6 million in 2019, the first full year of the tax.

The Greene County Commission has promised to devote sales tax money to a list of projects which, among other things, includes expanding the jail, improving the stormwater system and providing animal control services.